Process of making spuds



1,623,325 c. P. wETMoRE PROCESS OF MAKING SPUDS Apil 5 1927.

Filed DGO. 8, 1925 ATTORNEY.

l Patented Apr. 5, 1927. p

AUNnan sTArEs PATENT` oFFlca.

CHARLES P. WETMOB-E, F MILWAUKEE, WIS.CONSIN. ASSIGNOR T0 WETMORE-GIBBONS C0., 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSN, A CORPORATION 0F W'ISCONSIN.

PROCESS 0F IVLAKIINI'G SP'UDS.

Application led December 8, 1923. Serial No. 679,396.

The invention relates to a method of making what are commonly known 'to the art as spuds for barrels tanks, boilers, etc., such spuds being pipe fittings adapted b to be secured, generally by welding, to the barrel, tank or other receptacle. Y

Heretofore spuds have been made by casting or forging but by such methods the surfaces become oxidized and Welding of the spuds is, therefore, diflicult and unsatisfactory. The object of this invention is to provide a method 4for making a spud from sheet metal, preferably sheet steel, by which v the sheet metal is subjected tor a 16 series of cold-drawing or forming loperations to form the finished product.

. The invention furtherl consists in the 'method andsteps of lthe method hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

"In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a circular sheet metalblank; Fig. 2 is a sectional View of this blank after 'a forming operation; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the blank in a die after another forming operation; Fig.' 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 after another forming operation; Fig. 5 is .a view/similar to Fig. 4 after another forming operation; Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 after another forming operation. Fig-7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing thefinished blank; Fig, 8 is a sectional View through the finished spud in place on the Wall of a receptacle.

a flat sheet metal blank into a tube having walls as thick as or thicker than the original blank and projecting' upwardly from a flanged base or attaching portion and then compressing the tube and forcing it outwardly so as to form a boss on the opposite side of the base and provide a flanged tube of standard dimensions which may be threaded and Whose base or flange maybe readily welded to the,Y metal Wall of a receptacle, such as a barrel, tank, boiler, etc.

I first punch from sheet metal, generally sheet steel, a circular .blank 9." This blank is then formed into a cup-shaped member,

able dies` more than one drawingloperation being preferred. In the firstmdrawing operation the blank 9 is formed into a die 21 and its tubular end has another ring- Briefly, my method consists in drawing preferably by successive treatment'fjn suit-v shallow cup'shaped member 10. In theA next drawing operation the member 10 is drawn into a deeper cup of smaller diameter with flanged sides to form the member l1, shown in Fig. 3, between the fixed die block 12 and the movable die 13. In' the next drawing operation the cup 1l is drawn into a deeper cup of smaller diameter and with a more pronounced flanging to form the member 14, shown in Fig. 3, Abetween the fixed die block 15 and the movable die 16; l 65 The cup 14 thus formed vis next ysubjected to a forming a-nd punching operation to form a tubular member 17 having a flaring end 18 between the fixed die 19 and a punchingand forming die 20, as shown in Fig. 5. y The tubular `member 17 is then placed on a ring-shaped die 21 with its'flaring end 18 resting upon an annular recess 22 in the shaped, die 23 placed over it and thereafter a movable plunger die 24 and the die 23 are moved relative to the die 21 to bend the flaring end 18 of the tube 17 outwardly at right angles to the tube Whose Walls are thickened by the action of the shouldered plunger 24 to form a flanged tube member 25, shown in Fig. 6.

Thereafter thev tube member 25 is placed on a ring-shaped die 26 With its flanged end resting in an annular recess 27 in said die, a ring-shaped die 28 is placed over the up- I Wardly projecting tubular portion 29 of the y member 25 and a shouldered movable plunger die I30, moving through the die 8 With its reduced end working in the tube of themember 25, is moved down and its shoulder 31 engages the top of the tubular portion 29 yand exerts pressure thereon to displace the metal of the tube member 25 to form the finished blank 32, shown in Fig. 7, in which it will/be noted that the Wall of they tube has been displaced from the lposition shown in Fig. 6 and that a boss 33 has been bent up from the tube and the flanged base 34. f

The finished blank 32 is then tapped or threaded toform the finished Spud 35Which is shown in Fig. 7 applied to the. Wall 36 of a tank or other receptacle by having its flange portion 34 Welded thereto adjacent an 105 opening 37 in Isaid wall, the tube projecting in the opemng.

I aim, in the appended claims, to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of forming spuds from sheet metal which consists 'in subjecting a flat sheet metal blank to a series of drawing` operations tov form a cup-shaped member, drawing and punching this cup-shaped member to form a flared-end tube, compressing and` bending this flared-end tube to form a flanged tube whose tubular Wall is thicker than the thickness of the original blank, then bodily displacing a tubular part of the flanged. tube longitudinally so that portions of the tube project from opposite sides of the flange to form the finished Spud blank.

2. The method of .forming spuds from sheet metal which consists in subjecting a fiat sheet metal blank toa series of drawing operations to form a cup-shaped member, drawing and punching this cup-shaped member to form a flared-end tube, compressing and bending this flared-end tube to form a anged tube Whose tubular wall is thicker than the thickness of the original blank, and then forming the inished spud blank by moving this flanged tube longitudinally to displace a part of the metal tube and the ange to form an exterior boss.

In testimony Whereof,'I affix my signature.

CHARLEs P. WETMORE. 

